Caution: Don't Eat The Lettuce!!!

Good afternoon everyone!!!

How are you? Today I came across some rather shocking news. Apparently there's an E.Coli outbreak going on. You'd never guess from what? Lettuce. Yes everyone that's right, lettuce. It's scary b/c we, the people, have been taught that eating vegetables are healthy for us but in this instance, that is not the case; you're actually doing more harm than good. Who would have thought? Nevrtheless, to all my avid salad eaters, you have been warned. Check out the article below for more details on this developing story.



(CNN) -- An outbreak of food-borne illness linked to romaine lettuce has spread to four states and sickened at least 23 people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Tennessee is the latest state to confirm a case of E. coli 0145, which has already sickened people in Michigan, Ohio and New York.

The CDC said Wednesday that the confirmed cases rose to 23 from the 19 it reported last week. The agency also is reporting seven other probable cases that have not been confirmed yet.

No deaths have been reported.

Investigators have linked the illnesses to tainted romaine lettuce grown on a farm in Yuma, Arizona.

Two distributors -- Freshway Foods and Vaughan Foods -- have voluntarily recalled bagged lettuce that was harvested from the farm.

Ohio-based Freshway's recall came a day after the New York state Public Health Laboratory in Albany reported finding E. coli O145 in an unopened bag of Freshway Foods' shredded romaine lettuce, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.

The company said the recalled lettuce had "best if used by" dates of May 12 or earlier and was sold to wholesalers, food service outlets and some in-store salad bars and delis in Alabama, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Vaughan Foods, an Oklahoma-based supplier of processed and packaged lettuce, has also recalled lettuce grown on the same Arizona farm with "use by" dates of May 9 and May 10.

No E. coli illnesses have been traced back to Vaughan, the FDA said.

E. coli 0145 can cause symptoms that range from mild diarrhea to abdominal cramps and bloody stool. It can also cause a potentially life-threatening complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS.

In HUS, the body's blood-clotting mechanisms are altered, causing blocked circulation or bleeding in the brain or kidneys.

Though most healthy adults recover within a week, young children and the elderly are most at risk of developing HUS. Federal health authorities are encouraging anyone with such symptoms to contact a health care provider immediately.

End Note:
Now that you've read this article, what are your thoughts? Feel free to share and/or leave any comments you may have. I'd love to hear from you. Have a wonderful evening! Take care. Peace, Love, and God Bless. This is 'thedoc' and I'm signing out. 1.